EDENVILLE

No Holds Bard

By @lyttlejoe

The poetry competition was approaching fast. Candice had the venue all prepared and those working under her supervision had their marching orders.
Millicent Peed threaded her way through the packed crowd (her mother had been a seamstress for the Singer family) in the Tiki bar, conducting interviews with the entrants celebrating their creations for the contest.
Mrs. Weebol blushed and revealed her poem was a Petrarchan sonnet that captured the true essence of the village.
Corky said, 'I thought that was a horse breed.'
Millie steered him away, finding Japonica sampling a Spicy Haiku.
'What can you tell us about your poem, Japonica?'
'It's a Villanelle, I wrote in the style of Art Thomas, Dylan's brother. It's beautiful. I can read you a hundred stanzas if you like.'
'Thank you, but we have to give everyone equal time.' Millie said.
'What the heck is a vanilla poem, man? Why not butter pecan?'
'Just concentrate on getting through the crowd, Corky. There's the Mayor, hurry make a space. Mr. Mayor! Mr. Mayor, can we ask about your entry in the contest?'
'A pleasure Miss. Peed.' Mayor Maynot did a slow twirl, showing off his knitted Argyle toga. In keeping with my Greek theme, I've written a piece for the lyre in the Ekphrastic style.'
Corky whispered in Millie's ear. 'Candice would snap Pinky's elastic if she heard he called her a liar.'
'Corky that's not what-- never mind. There's Porter Dobbs, let's see what he has to offer.'
'Sorry, Millie I can't write.' He held up his gauze wrapped hands. 'Wine allergies.'
'Couldn't Dipsy help?'
'She said she didn't want the competition.'
'Is she here tonight?"
She's at the bar doing Shakespeare shooters with Fay DeWay. I hear Pop Cloggs had entered a Eulogy and Candice refused it because it's supposed to be, Elegy. He's back at the cemetery, plotting.'
'Jethro, can we have a minute?' Are you entering the contest? Is Bianca?'
'The whole contest is poetry, Millie! Business is booming. I don't have time to enter. Bianca said she wasn't but I heard her in the shower reciting, The Touch of You or something, by Witty Binner or someone. It was amazing, she had the man's voice down pat.'
'She was doing a man's voi--?'
'Never mind, Corky, move along. More people to interview. Millie urged.
'I'm going out for a- a breath of air . . . this joint needs some air.' Corky complained.
'Fine, I'll carry on myself.'
Corky found a section of wall beside the statue Carlos had created out of chewy granola. He leaned closer and read the plaque that said, eats. The letter K having been scraped off by several of the town's juvenile pranksters.
"Hmm . . ." He thought.
Little did the party goers inside know about, or hear ,their local radio host's cries for help that were prevented by the glutinous half eaten statue.